St. Pierre will instead defend his crown against the more
marketable Nick Diaz in
the UFC
158 main event on Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal,
while Hendricks tackles onetime
World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder Carlos
Condit in the co-headliner. The two-time NCAA wrestling
champion admits being skipped over has forced him to rethink how he
approaches the sport outside the cage.

“You start to look at how you have to get that title shot,”
Hendricks said on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” program.
“What do you have to do? You have to get your name out there. You
have to be doing this, you have to do this, and one thing I’ve
learned is the more high-profile fights you do and the better your
popularity grows, the more people want to see you do a title
shot.”

Condit has rattled off 13 wins in his last 15 bouts, including wins
over Diaz, South Korean judoka Dong Hyun
Kim, British striker Dan Hardy and
surging Canadian prospect Rory
MacDonald. The 28-year-old Jackson’s
Mixed Martial Arts export has established himself as one of
MMA’s most reliable finishers, having secured 26 of his 28
professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or
submission. Hendricks views him as a possible final step before a
showdown with St. Pierre.

“He’s a great fighter,” Hendricks said. “He’s coming off a title
shot, and if I get a win, that’s going to boost my stock up to get
the title shot and hopefully solidify it.”

Hendricks has posted a 9-1 record since entering the UFC in 2009. A
four-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University,
the 29-year-old
Team Takedown representative last appeared at UFC 154 in
November, when he needed less than a minute -- 46 seconds to be
exact -- to wipe out Kampmann. Hendricks was originally booked to
meet Jake
Ellenberger at UFC 158, but injuries forced the promotion to
reshuffle its deck, moving “Big Rigg” into the co-main event slot
opposite Condit.

“I’ve got to constantly be adapting,” Hendricks said during a
pre-fight media call. “I wanted to fight GSP, but he chose someone
else. I had Ellenberger and I trained very hard for him, and now
it’s Condit. I train day by day, and nothing else matters but
Condit at this point. I’ve got to go out there and get Carlos.”

Despite his pedigree, Hendricks has shown a thirst for the knockout
and a willingness to stand and trade in MMA. He shrugs at the
critics who question a lack of diversity in his game, and he can
point to his current five-fight winning streak as affirmation.

“If you watch my fights, I have wrestling, but when do I take
people down? I have knockout power,” he said. “Just because I don’t
go out there and use it all -- you don’t have to use it all to win
fights. The most important thing is to win fights. It doesn’t
matter how you do it.”

File
Photo

Makdessi is unbeaten in Montreal.

At Home with ‘The Bull’

Having grown accustomed to competing in front of his fellow
countrymen, John
Makdessi will fight in Canada for the fifth time in six UFC
appearances when he locks horns with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season
15 alum Daron
Cruickshank as part of the “St. Pierre vs. Diaz” undercard.

“It’s a great honor for me to fight in Montreal,” Makdessi told the
Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “I love fighting in my
hometown. I believe a fight is a fight no matter where it is, but
being able to be around my team and focus on the fight is the best
thing.”

Makdessi threw the brakes on a two-fight losing streak at UFC 154
in November, when he captured a unanimous decision over Sam Stout. The
27-year-old has built his reputation on the back of a creative and
dynamic standup attack. His spinning back fist knockout on Kyle Watson
at UFC 129 was one of the most-talked-about finishes of 2011.

“I truly believe I’m one of the most exciting fighters to watch,”
Makdessi said. “I consider myself a technical fighter. I try to be
a smart fighter and go out there and execute my game plan. I’m
dedicated. I’m committed. I work hard every day.”